Apparel

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc.'s online shop, Piperlime, will make its retail store debut this fall, at 121 Wooster St. in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

The new 4,000 sq. ft. Piperlime store will offer a similar curated assortment as online, the company said. Styled as a boutique, the store will feature the best range of coveted, iconic brands like Milly, Frye and Citizens of Humanity as well as little known finds including Tinley Road, Ash and Maison Scotch.

San Francisco -- Online retailer Piperlime, a division of Gap Inc., will open its first retail store this fall, in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

The 4,000-sq.-ft. Piperlime store will offer a similar curated assortment as online, and be styled as a boutique. It will feature a range of brands, from Fryle to Citizens of Humanity, along with upcoming, lesser-known ones, such as Tinley Road and Maison Scotch.

Reston, Va. -- Online U.S. retail spending reached $44.3 billion in first quarter 2012, up 17% versus a year ago, according to comScore’s Q1 2012 Retail survey. It was the tenth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

In other findings, 38% of tablet owners have made a purchase on their devices within the past month. Apparel was the most popular category for purchase among tablet shoppers.

New York -- British lifestyle brand Superdry USA on May 9 debuted its largest North American retail destination to date, a two-story, 14,000-sq-ft. store in New York City's Times Square. It is the brand’s third Big Apple location.

San Jose, Calif. -- VeriFone Systems announced that New Balance and Samsonite have selected VeriFone GlobalBay's mobile point-of-sale solution.

The solution is designed to make it possible engage the customer in a more meaningful way by untethering the store associate from a fixed location POS register to provide mobile checkout at the point of interaction where its really needed. VeriFone GlobalBay apps also provide store associates with access to inventory, price and product information, as well as customer purchase history and recommendations.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Amazon continues to set the bar higher, achieving the highest rating on the annual Top 100 E-Retail Satisfaction Index by customer experience analytics firm ForeSee. Amazon outdid its 2011 score, climbing three points to 89, and four points higher than the second highest scoring websites, Apple.com (85) and QVC.com (85). (Scores of 80 or higher on ForeSee's 100-point scale are considered superior customer satisfaction performances.)

Atlanta -- Women’s fashion retailer Aritzia has chosen to roll out RedPrairie Corp.'s supply chain execution solutions in its 80,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Cincinnati -- Macy's Inc. reported a better-than-expected 38% increase in its first-quarter profit as the chain continues to benefit from its move to target its offerings to local markets. However, the retailer disappointed the Street by failing to up its guidance for the year.

Macy's said that its net income rose to $181 million for the three-month period ended April 28, up from $131 million a year ago.

Revenue increased 4.3% to $6.14 billion, from $5.89 billion a year ago. Same-store sales were up 4.4%.

NEW YORK — Macy's has partnered with fashion icon Nicole Richie (daughter of famed singer Lionel Richie) for an exclusive line for the company's Impulse division. Nicole Richie for Impulse will launch in 100 Macy's stores and at Macys.com in September and will feature apparel inspired by Richie's trendsetting personal style, including 1970s influenced silhouettes, prints and fabrications, the company said.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — "Modern Family" star, Sofia Vergara, is expanding her brand at Kmart with the launch of a new, exclusive home collection. The actress' apparel line launched at Kmart and on Kmart.com in the fall of 2011.